Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - This Your Stories Q&A will come as a relief to some hunters around central New York.
State lawmakers may ban some large caliber weapons, but there’s an important exception written into a bill now under consideration in Albany.
This bill, not yet a law, has been passed by the full state assembly, and it's now in the Senate Codes Committee. And while it does ban the sale, possession and use of .50 caliber weapons, new language added to the bill specifically excludes one category of these large caliber weapons.
Muzzle-loading rifles used by a lot of deer hunters are not affected by the pending legislation.
Charles Relyea called the Your Stories line, because he is one of those hunters, and drew our attention to an earlier draft of this bill, which did not address these hunting weapons.
The intent of the bill is to ban the sale or use of rapid-fire long-range .50 caliber weapons, which are designed for military use, but are readily available on the Internet and in some gun stores.
The concern is that those .50 caliber weapons can wind up in the hands of domestic and international terrorists.
If you have a question or concern, call the Your Stories line at 446-9900, or e-mail us at yourstories@9wsyr.com.
